Looking ahead to the thaw

Many local fishing holes, like the one above, have been frozen over for weeks, and despite a recent thaw, with weathers expected to drop again soon, they may be once again a sheet of ice.

Some mighty nasty weather we have had the last two weeks. It sure does make fishing difficult. Ice everywhere, but the warm weekend and the rain should help.
Did you manage to find any open water to get out? I found a spot Monday, Totuskey Creek. Nothing major, as there were still have ice chunks floating out with the tide. I did manage to hook into one, a good fight but lost it right at shore. Never did get a good look at it, so not sure what type of fish I had.
As the weather starts to warm, it’s time to think about that first fishing trip for our kids. What are the secrets to making it a grand time? What will make it a memory to last a lifetime? What can we do to prepare? I came across a great list of timely tips to help us out.
The first tip is simple, make it fun. We can’t expect them to enjoy it if it’s not fun. The second tip is to keep it simple. Use simple tackle that is easy to use. A cane pole with bobber and a worm, a Spiderman or Princess closed face reel, or even a spinning reel work is perfect gear. Never expect them to be experts with anything. A little pre-fishing casting lessons will pay big dividends. The third tip is to give your kids your full attention. I love to fish, but this is one time I need to set aside my fishing so that I can give them my full attention. That is why we are there. The fourth tip is to fish for an easy to catch species. Bluegills, sunfish, fliers, something that they can have fun catching. Nothing ruins their fun like not catching.
-Read the full story in this week’s Northern Neck News, on stands now!